1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing a rack, and in particular, to a method of producing a rack by plastic deformation from pipe material, and also to a rack thus produced which is tubular and light in weight.
2. Prior Art
A rack generally comprising, as shown in FIG. 1 by numerical reference 1, a row of teeth 1a formed on its outer surface to be engaged with a pinion has been widely utilized for example as a steering gear mechanism of an automobile through which movement of the steering wheel is transmitted to the front wheels, and for many other applications.
In the prior art, a rack has usually been manufactured by machining a round, metal bar, such as steel, which has resulted in racks that are heavy and expensive to make.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a rack which is remarkably light in weight compared to the rack 1 manufactured by a conventional method, and which also achieves the same functions as the conventional rack.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing which is suitable for mass production of racks more simply and less costly than the prior art.
Also, it is an object of the invention to provide a light weight and inexpensive track which is functionally equivalent to the prior art rack.